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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
"We have a saying in Farsi. It translates ‘your place was empty.’ We say it when we miss somebody. Your place was empty before. But this is your family. You belong here."
[TW: depression, bullies]
[b:Darius the Great Is Not Okay|37506437|Darius the Great Is Not Okay (Darius The Great, #1)|Adib Khorram|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520460519l/37506437._SX50_.jpg|58014975] is the story about American-Persian young boy, Darius Kellner. He has a depression and most of the time, he feels that he can't seem to fit anywhere and is constantly bullied at school for being fat and Zoroastrian. With so many Lord of The Rings and Star Trek references, Darius brings you a story about how feeling not okay is okay.
"Dr. Howell says that crying is normal. He says that it’s a healthy reaction."
WOW! I didn't expect I like this book so much. This book taught me so much about friendship and it's cleverness and fluffy wholesomeness what Darius and Shorab have. It's so amazing how Khorram tells us about depression in such a different way. Depression is not only about suiced or hurting yourself, it's more complicated than that. And I love the way Khorram explains so much about Iran, especially Yazd. I've never read anything Iran-related from the fiction book. This is the first and I love it.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There are ways in which I recognize myself in Darius that I can't even begin to explain. I loved loved loved this first read-through and I will probably revisit this from time to time. This book is so beautifully written and the chapter titles were absolutely on point. I am excited to read the sequel with the truest statement title "Darius the Great Deserves Better".
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Fatphobia
These were not problematic TW but part of the coming-of-age story.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I laughed, I cried, I loved every minute of its miraculously beautiful mundanity.
The experience of growing up different and with a mental illness is one that we have seen often enough, but I found this much more profound and close to heart because it comes from a person from a marginalised community.
Everything about Iran, it's culture, it's people and a million different things was captured perfectly; along with a heart-wrenchingly accurate portrayal of depression.
Can't wait to see what life brings next for Darioush.
Find me elsewhere: Blog | Instagram | Twitter | The Story Graph
The experience of growing up different and with a mental illness is one that we have seen often enough, but I found this much more profound and close to heart because it comes from a person from a marginalised community.
Everything about Iran, it's culture, it's people and a million different things was captured perfectly; along with a heart-wrenchingly accurate portrayal of depression.
Can't wait to see what life brings next for Darioush.
Find me elsewhere: Blog | Instagram | Twitter | The Story Graph
This was just lovely! Darius is a gorgeous, thoughtful and intriguing main character and I loved spending a few days in his brain. There was so much to love and recommend about this novel - the setting, the diversity, the way it delved into Persian/Iranian everything (the food, culture, language, the place). I did think it's probably for an older audience, but I adored it. And I'm looking forward to reading [b:Darius the Great Deserves Better|49025767|Darius the Great Deserves Better (Darius the Great, #2)|Adib Khorram|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576517046l/49025767._SY75_.jpg|73514089].
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Author interview and authors note in the print version are very precious
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a great book, it's full of lots of little quiet, impactful, emotional moments. My only criticisms stem from the fact that it's YA and a bit simplistic for me rn but I would have loved this when I was younger, especially all the star trek references.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced